AMES, Ia. — Iowa State punters Joe Rivera and Corey Dunn were getting ready for a workout in the football team’s indoor practice facility this summer when it happened. As Dunn was warming up, Iowa State’s starting punter from a season ago went down in agonizing pain with an injury to his Achilles tendon. Rivera knew right away.

It wasn’t good.

“You could kind of see it in his face,” Rivera said. “He was really sad, and he just reached for it right away. With other teammates, that happening in the past, you kind of know that it might be something serious. At that point, I knew that something bad could have happened.”

Rivera was right. Dunn suffered a torn Achilles tendon meaning his 2019 season might be done before it even started. And it also meant that Rivera, a redshirt junior for the Cyclones, who had punted in just one game during his college career, had instantly become Iowa State’s most experienced player at the position.

So, that’s what Rivera is trying to do: to step up and into the role Dunn left. Dunn, a junior college transfer, handled the bulk of Iowa State’s punting duties in 2018, averaging 40.2 yards per punt on 53 attempts. He tallied 23 punts down inside the 20 and 10-yarders. He even boomed three 60-yard punts. It all came after a slow start to the season.

But with Dunn getting back on track, there were high hopes for him heading into this season. Those hopes were dashed when Dunn went down this summer with an injury that's expected to cost him his entire season. Now the Cyclones are looking to Rivera or San Jose State transfer Brian Papazian to fill his void. Rivera may have the inside edge.

The redshirt junior, who hails from Grinnell, has experience has played in some high leverage situations. Rivera, who appeared in all 13 games last season as Iowa State’s holder on field goals and PATs, got his first taste of punting for the Cyclones in the regular season finale against Drake. With wet and muddy field conditions and Iowa State clinging to a small lead over Drake, Rivera stepped up and delivered. He booted a pair of punts, averaging 38.0 yards. His longest punt was 46 yards.

“I said this after the game, ‘(Joe) was the MVP of that football game,’” Campbell said. “And I think just knowing that he was our holder a year ago — he’s got a great sense of trust by his coaches, by his teammates and his ability is outstanding. I think just what you want to see from that is like any other position on our team: consistency.”

Rivera believes he’s finding it this summer. He’s enlisted the help of kicking guru Jamie Kohl and, as Iowa State inches closer and closer to the season, Rivera sits atop the chart as the team’s starting punter.

“I think I’m doing pretty good right now,” Rivera said. “I have a few areas to work on but I think we should have a pretty good finished product by the time the season rolls around.”

Just being in the conversation for a shot at the starting spot is exciting enough for Rivera, who was a star in high school. During his senior season, Rivera averaged 41.7 yards per punt, even booming a 58-yarder. He had only one scholarship offer, to South Dakota. Rivera said several other teams offered him chances to walk on. But Iowa State was where he wanted to go, even though playing time may be hard to come by.

“It was just close to home for me,” he said. “I’m from Grinnell so it was just about an hour away. Just the small amount of family that I have here, I wanted my mom and my brother and siblings to be able to come to the games.”

And if they do, they may get to see him punting — possibly often. It’s a chance Rivera always wanted but didn’t know if it would come. And even though he was just a holder a season ago, he enjoyed that role.

“Coming here, I’ve always wanted to punt,” Rivera said. “I did the holding last year because it was what was my best for me at the time and best for the team.”